Fall Events 2024
By Misty Hall
This holiday season is packed with events on the Central Coast. Here’s a small handful of our favorites!
Oct. 1-31 Cambria Scarecrow Festival
Get in the Halloween spirit the Cambria way! Stroll the streets of Cambria and San Simeon to spot the hundreds of locally crafted scarecrows. Each year, things ramp up a little more, and this year is no exception, with new picture-worthy areas (scarecrow selfies, anyone?). The fun culminates Oct. 26 with The Salute to Scarecrows! A Starlit Celebration of Cambria — an evening of food, wine, raffles, and a costume contest. Along with promoting creativity and the arts in town, the festival also raises funds to provide scholarships for the city’s high school students who plan to pursue the arts in college.
For more details and to purchase tickets for the Oct. 26 event, visit cambriascarecrows.com
Oct. 5 Oktoberfest SLO Madonna Inn, 120 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo
Love suds? Oktoberfest SLO is a cele-beer-ation (see what I did there) not to be missed. San Luis Obispo County’s largest Oktoberfest event is back with German food, beer, contests, and live music. Find tons of great beer vendors in this Oktoberfest/beer festival hybrid event. Each ticket holder gets a beer stein (filled with Weihenstephan Oktoberfest beer), a taster cup, and unlimited tastings. Once you’re lubed up, try one of the many activities and contests, like stein holding, beer chugging, the trust pour, best costume, axe throwing, and lots more.
For tickets and more: beerfests.com/events/templeton-oktoberfest
Oct. 11-13 NatureTrack Film Festival Camino Real Cinemas, 7040 Market Pl Dr., Goleta
Goleta’s NatureTrack Film Festival is back this October with more than 50 nature-based films from around the world. This one is a must-see for anyone who loves the great outdoors.
For tickets and more: naturetrackfilmfestival.org
Oct. 12 CASS Harvest Festival Grape Stomp & Tacos CASS Winery, 7350 Linne Rd., Paso Robles
Roll up your pant legs and get ready to stomp! Enjoy live music, wine, all-you-can-eat tacos, and — of course — a good old-fashioned grape stomp at this year’s CASS Winery Harvest Festival. It’s hard to think of a better way to spend an afternoon in the fall in Paso Robles.
For tickets and more: casswines.com
Oct. 19 Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival Santa Barbara Harbor, 132-A Harbor Way, Santa Barbara
Do you love seafood? Get out to the Santa Barbara Harbor the third Saturday in October! This is a working harbor, and this event is a nod to its bounty with some of the freshest seafood on the Central Coast. Come hungry for crab cakes, lobster, uni, and so much more. Take a break from eating to enjoy free boat rides and more than 40 vendors.
For more: harborfestival.org
Oct. 19, 1-4 p.m. Santa Barbara Vintner’s Festival Vega Vineyard & Farm, 9496 Santa Rosa Rd., Buellton (parking at 151 Sycamore Dr.)
With so many incredible wineries on the Central Coast, you really shouldn’t be surprised to see so many wine-related events here in these pages! The Santa Barbara Vintner’s Festival, appropriately, spotlights some of the best wines in SB County. Sample wines from more than 50 wineries, all at the stunning Vega Vineyard & Farm. And of course, a selection of excellent food pairings will be available, as well — more than 25 and counting are already in the lineup!
For tickets and more: sbvintnersweekend.com
Oct. 24-27 Ojai Storytelling Festival Libbey Bowl, 210 S. Signal St., Ojai
Head on out to Ojai’s Libbey Bowl and several locations across town for a celebration of the spoken word with the Ojai Storytelling Festival! Andy Offut Irwin, Motoko, Bil Lepp, and other globally-celebrated performers are in this year’s lineup of powerful, funny, moving, and downright entertaining storytellers.
For tickets and more: ojaistoryfest.org
Oct. 26 3rd Annual Parade of Frights Channel Islands Harbor, 3900 Pelican Way, Oxnard
Can’t wait till December for the Parade of Lights? Come out to the Channel Islands Harbor Oct. 26 for the third annual Parade of Frights! This family-friendly event includes a boat parade, as well as lots more Halloweeny fun (think free candy!). The fun starts on land at 3 pm, and the parade begins at 7 pm.
For more: channelislandsharbor.org
Oct. 31-Nov. 4 Ojai Film Festival Various locations in Ojai
The resort town of Ojai is just 90 minutes away from Hollywood, so it’s no wonder its annual film fest brings in so many important films each year (along with plenty of celebrities). Get a chance to see domestic and international films of all kinds — from documentaries to animation — as well as a spotlight on local filmmakers focusing on issues relevant to the region.
For tickets and more: ojaifilmfestival.com
Nov. 2 Ventura County Farm Day Various locations in Ventura County
The 12th Annual Ventura County Farm Day is back Nov. 2! Tour more than a dozen farms, ranches, and agricultural organizations throughout Ventura County, and learn about what it takes to bring healthy food to your plate. This free event benefits Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG).
For more: venturacountyfarmday.com
Nov. 8-9 13th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival Paso Fairgrounds, 2198 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles
Garagiste is back Nov. 8-9, with dozens of small wineries pouring more than 200 wines. Some you’ve read about in these pages before — Absolution, Bella Luna, Tercero Ulloa Cellars — but most you probably haven’t, and that’s the fun of Garagiste! Lots of non-wine vendors are slated for the artisan marketplace, where you will find cheese, olive oil, candles, and more. Proceeds go to the Garagiste Scholarship Fund at Cal Poly SLO.
For tickets and more: garagistefestival.com
Nov. 29-Dec. 22 (Fridays & Saturdays only) Christmas at the Santa Margarita Ranch Santa Margarita Ranch, 9000 Yerba Buena Ave, Santa Margarita
Train rides, cookies, hot cocoa, and the magic of Christmas — what could be better? Hop aboard a historic steam train at Santa Margarita Ranch and travel through a wintery wonderland of decorations. Choose from an open-air train car, or one of the original Disneyland coaches that Walt Disney built when the park first opened in 1955. Or, take it up a notch and ride in the cab for an up-close look at how these machines work. The fun continues when you arrive at your destination, Santa’s Barn, where you’ll get a chance to explore the holiday decorations and meet the big man himself.
For tickets and more: christmasatthemargarita.com
Nov. 29 to Dec 31 Cambria Christmas Market Cambria Pines Lodge, 2905 Burton Dr, Cambria
Beach vibes and 3 million Christmas lights — what could be better? Cambria’s Christmas Market is a holiday wonderland with artisan vendors, great food and drink, train rides, and of course, Santa Claus! This German-style market adds Central California flavor with live music, cozy fire pits, and massive light displays perfect for photo ops.
For tickets and more: cambriachristmasmarket.com
Nov. 29-Jan. 3 Solvang’s Julefest Downtown Solvang
Celebrate the holidays in the Danish village of Solvang. The monthlong party has a truckload of activities in the lineup, ranging from candlelight tours, parades, lights, themed food and drink, a maker’s market, and for something different, the Nisse Adventure (a hunt for Danish gnomes). The Tree Lighting Ceremony is slated for Dec. 6, with the Julefest Parade next evening.
For a full list of events, see solvangusa.com/things-to-do/solvang-julefest
Dec. 1-2 Sip & Shop Makers Market CASS Winery, 7350 Linna Rd., Paso Robles
Sip and shop. The name says it all! Head out to CASS Winery Dec. 1-2 and find amazing gifts from local artisans while sipping incredible Paso wines. (Or mulled wine. Or hot apple cider. Or all three. We’re not judging.) Take a break to drive through the vineyards in a carriage, visit Santa, or sample the special menu at the Barrel Room courtesy of Chef Charlie.
This is a free event, but you’ll need to reserve your tickets in advance at my805tix.com/e/sip-shop-makers-market-at-cass-2024
Dec. 7 Oxnard Tamale Festival Plaza Park, 500 S. C St, Oxnard
You can’t beat a good tamale. Sweet, savory, spicy, vegetarian or meat-loaded — you kinda can’t go wrong when they’re done right! Come on out to the Tamale Festival in Oxnard for some of the best you’ve ever had, from a variety of regions in Mexico. If you’re somehow not a tamale fan, you’ll find plenty of other inspired eats, along with an artisan fair and kids’ activities. Hang around for Oxnard’s Annual Christmas Parade to really get into the holiday spirit.
For more: visitoxnard.com/events
Dec. 7 Winter Wine Walk Main Street, Downtown Ventura
It’s back — the biggest wine walk in California! Stroll through picturesque Main Street in Ventura exploring more than 40 tasting locations. It’s a hard-to-beat afternoon of wine, shopping, and to cap it all off, snow! Yes, you read that right, snow in Ventura! If that sounds crazy, you’ll just have to go and see for yourself.
For tickets and more: venturawinterwinewalk.com
Dec. 13-14 Ventura Parade of Lights Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura
The Parade of Lights returns to the Ventura Harbor Dec. 13 and 14. For its 48th iteration, the parade has adopted the theme “Candy Land” — so you know it’ll be extra sweet! The fun starts at 4 pm in the Ventura Harbor Village with carnival rides on the big lawn, followed by faux snowfall and pop-up performances. Grab a bite to eat (you’ve got a ton of choices in the Village!) before the parade kicks off at 6:30 pm. Weather permitting, the evening will wrap up with fireworks at 8 pm.
For more: venturaharborvillage.com/event
Dec. 14 Channel Islands Parade of Lights Channel Islands Harbor, 3900 Pelican Way, Oxnard
For more than half a century now, Channel Islands has played host to the annual Parade of Lights. Don your holiday sweaters and get ready for the bedazzling parade on the water. The floats in this parade really float, and the light and music show they bring is sure to put you in a festive mood. Come at noon to 4 pm for photos with Santa and the holiday marketplace, then grab dinner at one of the many restaurants in the harbor before setting up for the main event at 7 pm.
For more: visitoxnard.com/events